William wharton



2 sheets-Snmy Patented Sept; 12, 18923I w, WHARTom-Jr. RAILWAY SWITCH.

(NoModel.)

2 sheetssheet 2.

' (NQ Model.)-

W@ WHARTON, Jr. RAILWAY SWITCH V N0..5o5,o75. 'Patented sept. 12, 139e;`

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM WHARTON, JR., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THEWILLIAM WHARTON, JR., & COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,075, datedSeptember 12, 1893;

Application led November 19, 1892. Serial No.452,545. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WEAEroN, Jr.,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Railway-Switches,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates t-o railway switches in which the main track isunbroken or continuous.

The object of my invention is to so construct the switch that it willnot interfere with the continuity of the main track, and to so mount themovable switch rail at the side of the track that it can be moved overand r 5 rest upon one of the main rails. This object I attain in thefollowing manner, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Y Figure l, is a plan view ofv a track structure zo showing themain track clear. Fig. 2, is a plan view showing the switch set for theside track. Fig. 3, is a section on the line 1 2, Fig. l. Fig. 4, is asection on the line 1 2, Fig. 2. Figs. 5 and 6, are perspective views z5showing the movable switch rail in the two positions; and Fig. 7 is aside view of the switch mate.

A, A are the two rails of the'main track, which are continuous, thusgiving an unbroken support for the wheels traversing the main track, andB, B are the two rails of the siding.

The track structure D has a guard rail F, and a pointed rail P, and itis the mate of 3 5 the switch structure described hereinafter. Thisswitch mate is secured to the inner side of the rail A by bolts or otherfastenings, or it may be supported by means independent of the rail.

Mounted upon the switch structure D is a grooved switch rail C pivotedat c so as to swing over and rest upon the main rail A as describedhereinafter. The surface of the switch structure upon which the switchrail C slides, is on the saine level'as the head of the main rail A, sothat the switch rail can be readily moved over upon the main rail.

The switch rail C, as will be seen on referring to Figs. 3 and 4, is aliat grooved rail of a sufficient depth to give clearance for the wheelanges, and the outer end c of the head` portion is vertically inclined,so that when the switch is turned to the l'position shown in Fig. 2, thecar wheels will ride up the incline, and will thus become free from thecontrol of the main rail A, and may then readily be guided upon thesiding by the guard portion c2 of the switch rail. The free end of thisguard portion is adapted to a recess e in the guard rail E, so that whenthe switch railV is moved over upon the main rail, the guiding edge ofthe guard portion c2 will be on a line with the guiding edge of theguard rail E, and moreover, it will be vertically supported to a certainextent by the guard rail E as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The guard railEacts also as a stop for the switch rail, and resists the lateral thrustof the wheels against the guard portion of said switch rail. The headportion of the switch rail C does not guide the wheels onto the siding,but it is a support for the Wheels to run on, while the guard portion c2is the guide which directs the wheels on to the siding. When the switchis not set for the siding, the switch rail is moved entirely clear ofthe main track, and in no way acts upon car wheels traversing the maintrack.

The guard F of the switch mate assists in guiding the anges of thecar-wheels when going into or out of the branch track, while the guardrail E on the opposite side of the track is not only a lateral andvertical support for the guard part c2 of the movable switch rail C, butit is of assistance in insuring that the car Wheels shall properly taketheir place on the main track when leaving the siding.

The switch mate D is preferably so :made that car wheels on that side ofthe track when entering the branch track shall, at once, upon theirdiverging from the line of the main track, run up a slight verticalincline, in order to equalize or partially equalize the raising of thewheels on the other side of the car when they run up the inclined end cof the switch rail C. This is accomplished by gradually raising up theliange bearing portion -H of the switch mate, from at or near the lineoc-- to about the line y-y, Figs. l and 2, the pointed rail P being ofthe usual height above the flange bearing portion H. The iange bearingportion H however, is not thus raised up alongside of or immediatelyadjacent to the main rail A, and therefore the flanges of car wheelstraversing the main track are not lifted up, and the wheels preservetheir continuous bearing upon the head of the main rail A'. I preferthatthe inclined end c of the switch rail C shall project beyond the guardpart c2 of the rail, as shown in the drawings, but this is not essentialto my invention. While I prefer to pivot the switch rail as shown, itmay be so arranged as to be moved over upon the main rail in some othermanner, without departing from my invention.

The supporting structure for the switch rail C, in the present instance,as will be noticed on referring to Figs. 3 and 4, has an upwardlyprojecting ange on its outer edge forming a recess for the switch railand the structure is upheld by the main rail, and is in the form of abracket with a back plate d adapted to the web of the main rail andresting upon its base, and with suitable braces CZ at intervalsthroughout its length. The guard rail E is also shown in the form of abracket upheld by and secured to the opposite side of the main rail. Inthe present instance the switch structure D and the guard rail E aresecured to each other and to the main rail A by bolts, but otherfastenings may be employed without departing from my invention. The railin this instance is of the formknown as a deep girder rail, it being ofsufficient depth and strength to support the switch structure. Ifdesired, the structure may be supported independently of the main rail,especially when a shallow main rail is used.

I `claim as my inventionl. The combination of a main rail, with amovable switch rail having an inclined end forming a continuation of thetread surface of said switch rail, and adapted to pass over and lie uponthe main rail, said switch rail having a guard, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination of an unbroken main rail, a movable grooved switchrail having an inclined end, and adapted to pass over and lie upon themain rail, and a guard rail having a recess to receive a portion of thesaid groovedswitch rail,substantiallyasdescribed.

3. The combination of an unbroken main rail, with a pivoted switch railhaving an inclined end forming a continuation of the tread surface ofsaid switch rail and adapted to pass over and lie upon the main rail,said switch rail having a guard, substantially as described.

4. A movable switch rail having an inclined end and a guard, saidinclined end forming a continuation of the tread surface of the switchrail and projecting beyond the guard, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a continuous main rail and siding rail, with apivoted switch rail having an inclined end and having a guard, saidswitch rail being pivoted at the outside of the main rail and adapted tobe shifted onto the main rail so that the guard will then direct thewheels of a car from the main track onto the siding, substantially asspecified.

6. The combination of a continuous main rail and recessed guard rail,with a movable switch railhaving an inclined end and having a guard parton its inner side, the outer end of. said guard part resting within andsupported by the recessed guard rail when the switch rail is moved overupon the main rail, substantially as specified.

7. The combination of an unbroken main rail and siding rail, with amovable grooved switch rail, said rail having an inclined end extendingbeyond the grooved portion, the incline being of such a height as toraise the flanges of the car wheels clear of the bottom of the groove ofthe switch rail when being transferred from the main track to thesiding, substantially as specified.

8. The combination of an unbroken main rail, a grooved switch railhaving an inclined end, and a recessed support for the said switch railto slide upon, the bottom of said recess being level with the top of themain rail, substantially as described.

9. The combination of the unbroken rails of a main track, a movableswitch rail having an inclined end and having a guard stopping short ofsaid end, with a switch mate, substantially as described.

10. The combination of the unbroken rails of a main track, the rails ofa siding, a switch rail having a guard and pivoted at the outside of oneof the main rails and adapted to move over upon said main rail, and aswitch mate at the inside of the opposite main rail, substantially asdescribed.

11. The combination of the unbroken rails of a maintrack, a'movableswitch rail having a guard and having an inclined end, and a switch matehaving a vertical incline in its flange bearing portion, substantiallyas described.

12. The combination of the unbroken rails of a main track, a movableswitch rail having a guard and having an inclined end, and a switch matehaving a vertical incline in its flange bearing portion and having aguard, substantially as described.

13. The combination of an unbroken rail of a main track, with a switchstructure at the outside of and a guard rail on the inside of the mainrail secured thereto, and supported thereby, substantially as described.

14. A continuous main rail, and a movable grooved switch rail, adaptedto pass over and lie upon the main rail, in combination with a guardrail against which the grooved switch rail bears, said guard rail actingalso as a stop to resist'the lateral thrust of the car wheels againstthe guard portion of the grooved switch rail, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subseribin g witnesses.

WILLIAM WHARTON, JR.

Witnesses:

HENRY HowsoN, JOSEPH H. KLEIN.

